S e r v i n g t h e P e r s e c u t e d C h u r c h W o r l d w i d e | N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 7

More Than

Conquerors

“Has anyone ever been saved without first being broken? Has anyone ever really been anything for God without having first been broken?”

– Anonymous

The abduction story of the 276 teenage girls who were kidnapped by the Boko Haram terrorists in

Nigeria impacted the airwaves like a blast of desert heat in April 2014. Social media communicators, news reporters – even the former American First Lady, Michelle Obama – banded together under the hashtag cry: #BringBackOurGirls.

Days stretched to weeks, then months, and now three-and-a-half years later, the majority of these Christian families left behind in the Chibok village can only imagine what has become of their beloved daughters. The world has moved on and rages over other atrocities committed by Islamic extremists. It has long forgotten “Saa,” who was one of the girls

More Than

ConquerorsMessage by Vanessa Brobbel – VOMC’s Event Manager

(Artist of this month’s front cover illustration.)

2 VOM Canada | November 2017

P.O. Box 608 Streetsville, ON L5M 2C1

Tel: 905-670-9721 Toll Free: 1-888-298-6423

Fax: 905-670-0246

Email: thevoice@vomcanada.org Internet: www.vomcanada.com

Founders: Klaas and Nellie Brobbel with Pastor Richard Wurmbrand

Chief Executive Officer: Doug J. McKenzie Director of Communications

and Publications: Karyn Marianne Communications Assistants: Bethany Ann

and Alexandra Chelse Graphic Design: Big Footprints Inc.

Special thanks to our International Ministry team for contributing to this issue.

The Voice of the Martyrs

The goals of VOMC are expressed in our “Ministry Purposes” as follows:

1. To encourage and empower Christians to fulfill the Great Commission.

2. To give relief to families of Christian martyrs.

3. To undertake projects of encouragement, helping persecuted Christians rebuild their lives and witness.

4. To equip persecuted Christians to love and lead their enemies (persecutors) to Christ.

5. To promote the fellowship of all Christian believers.

6. To infuse, distribute and exhibit to the Canadian church constituency the faith and testimony of those Christians in the world who are persecuted for Christ.

7. To give voice to those Christians whose cries of pain and proclamation of praise go unheard.

The Voice of the Martyrs newsletter is the flagship publication of The Voice of the Martyrs in Canada.

Published monthly, it is available free of charge and without obligation in one-year subscriptions to

anyone in Canada who requests it.

Spending of funds is confined to board-approved programs and projects. Each restricted contribution designated

towards a board-approved program or project will be used as designated with the understanding that when the need for such a program or project has been met, or cannot be completed for any reason determined by the board, the remaining restricted contributions designated for such

program or project will be used where needed most. Gifts from individual donors of $10 and more are acknowledged and

receipted with an official receipt for income tax purposes.

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awakened that fateful night by gunfire. She remembers suddenly deciding to jump from the moving truck the captors had used to herd the girls into. “I’d rather jump and die so my parents would have a corpse to bury than go with these people into the forest,” she explains.

Few will ever know the story of “Zee.” A beautiful young lady with a sweet and gentle spirit who survived a bullet to her head when the Boko Haram terrorists scaled her family’s fence in search of her father. He was targeted and riddled with bullets because of his faith and role as a caring pastor in their town. Zee’s final memory of her father was watching her mother trying to perform CPR on him as he gasped his last breath.

Nor will the Internet flutter to life over “Suzie.” Hers is a unique story to which most would turn a blind eye. She found the light of Jesus and converted to Christianity from Islam. She must hide her identity and location since her own family are actively searching to kill her for this decision.

The lines of the entire world are blurred. The images are unclear. Darkness seems to be winning the battle over “The Light.” Yet, listening to these three young women, and seeing them together, something else comes into view: Where brethren in unity dwell, there the Perfector of our faith makes our imperfections diminish.

These Christian girls are not heroes. They are not to be idolized or heralded as something more than they are…members of the body of Christ. It is Christ who is able to shine, redeem, and bring clarity and truth to this broken world. And He can use us, and our stories, amid our brokenness. When the body of Christ invites the Holy Spirit to be the central glue – repairing the shards broken by sin – then it will be able to embrace its vari-ous parts in unity.

With Christ as the heart and head, this otherwise self-centered body can be redeemed into one desperately in love with the Son of God. Together, when consumed by a love for the Lord and each other, we can impact the nations as “more than con-querors.” We are also given the privilege of extending the invitation to others who are broken, blind and dis-figured. Through Christ, we become “more than conquer-ors” – we become family.

REMEMBERING

Nigeria’s Chibok Schoolgirls

Every year, on November 11th, Canadians across the country commemorate the bravery dem-

onstrated by the members of our nation’s armed forces. While acknowledging this officially appoint-ed Remembrance Day, we’re also reminded as Christians to prayerfully remember the many unsung heroes who are engaged on the frontlines of a fierce spiritual war – one that they did not initiate nor choose to battle.

Three years ago, in a country several thousand kilometres away, an event took place that struck ter-ror within the hearts of so many innocent people in Nigeria and caused shockwaves around the rest of the world. On the night of April 14th, 2014, a total of 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the predominantly Christian town of Chibok, Borno State. Before the incident occurred, most Canadians would not have been able to locate this area on a map. Yet, the very fact that this alarming event happened to an unassum-

ing small-town community sparked a huge outcry all over the world. Education advocates, politicians, faith-based leaders – people from all walks of life – united together in spirit for a common cause. As a result, a far-reaching international campaign on social media, known as “Bring Back Our Girls,” sprang to life.

On the night of the kidnapping, members of the Boko Haram terrorist group had entered the school building pretending to be soldiers. As they ushered the girls out of the building and into their getaway vehicles, the militants deceitfully told the students that they were protecting them. Instead, most of the abducted schoolgirls had been driven deep into the dark seclusion of a remote forest, and others were taken well across the borders into the neighbouring countries of Cameroon and Chad. For the abducted Chibok schoolgirls – most of whom had been pre-paring for final exams – it was a ride leading to an unknown future.

By Alexandra Chelse

4 VOM Canada | November 2017

While 57 of the kidnapped students had success-fully escaped after their abduction, the more than 200 remaining girls would experience a different fate. For these girls, the possibility of facing unknown terror at the hands of the Boko Haram militants continued to plague them. Testimonies of the recently released vic-tims reveal that several of the girls were subjected to forced marriages and, as a result, have borne children. Some were radicalized, and others used in suicide bombings. However, news reports indicate that the schoolgirls were not the only ones who were suffering.

In the aftermath of the April 2014 kidnapping, fur-ther chaos ensued in Chibok, which meant added grief, fear and despair for the surviving families left behind. Boko Haram had ravaged their community, attacked towns nearby, and continued to carry out further abductions. Because of the alarming situation, a heavy military presence took over Chibok, leading to the closure of the girls’ Government Secondary School, along with several other institutions. Though these schools have since reopened, many parents are terrified of sending their children for fear that the Boko Haram insurgents could strike again.

Numerous families and children have since been displaced, and church activities are being carefully carried out under heavy security. In addition to the massive Chibok schoolgirl abduction – which has come to be a well-known example of the victimization and terror caused by Boko Haram – more than 20,000 people throughout northeast Nigeria have been killed and over two million displaced. All of this rampage was due to Boko Haram’s efforts to rid the area of Christianity.

The violent actions perpetrated by this notorious militant group may have succeeded in instilling feel-ings of hopelessness within the hearts of the Chibok villagers, but not all was entirely lost. Two long years later, traces of hope began to surface through the dis-covery of an escaped student. After fleeing from Boko Haram captivity, Amina Ali Nkeki was found alive and well in the Sambisa forest by Nigeria’s army. Shortly after, a second Chibok student, Serah Luka was res-cued. Then, on October 13th, 2016, the release of 21 others took place. Six months later, on May 20th of this year, 82 more schoolgirls were released in a pris-oner “swap deal” that was negotiated by the Nigerian government.

In a joyous ceremony held in the capital of Abuja shortly following their release, the freed young women were reunited with their families. It was a day filled with jubilant joy – and lots of hugging, dancing and praying together. For these girls, their families, and many other believers in northeast Nigeria, this victorious event would provide a flicker of hope to a community that, for years, had witnessed first-hand the dark terror of evil inflicted by Boko Haram.

Regardless of the circumstances, the fact that SEVERAL OF THESE GIRLS ARE FINALLY FREE FROM TERRORIST CAPTIVITY is a major step towards healing, making it possible for them to MOVE FORWARD AND EMBRACE THE HOPEFUL FUTURE THAT’S AWAITING THEM AS YOUNG WOMEN.

...we remain mindful that an ESTIMATED 114 OF THE REMAINING VICTIMS ARE STILL MISSING.

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November 2017 | VOM Canada 5

Yet, despite having been safely released from their abductors, returning home to their families was still not within their immediate reach. Many of these girls were detained by officials for questioning and secu-rity purposes. Permission to see their parents was only granted by the government a handful of times. However, during their detainment within the protec-tive environment of Abuja’s govern-ment-run facilities, the students were given opportunities to commence with their school lessons and receive neces-sary trauma coun-selling.

For a large num-ber of girls, this also helped to prepare for the chal-lenges of reintegrating back into their communities. While most would be welcomed with open arms, oth-ers were not as fortunate. Some of the girls, upon their release, received the shattering news that their parents are no longer alive. Regardless of the circumstances, the fact that several of these girls are finally free from terrorist captivity is a major step towards healing and the reclaiming a hopeful future.

This newfound freedom will afford them opportuni-ties to embark on new paths. For some who managed to escape on the first night of the abduction, these paths have led to the continuation of their education abroad. In fact, two of the released girls had attended a press conference that was held in Washington, D.C.,

earlier this year to mark the three-year anniversary of the abduction.

As we thank God for His wonder-ful restoration and provision in the lives of the freed Chibok schoolgirls, we remain mindful that an estimated 114 of the remain-ing victims are still

missing. The latest reports indicate that further nego-tiations are underway as the Nigerian government per-sists in its attempts to locate them, while the petitions of the victims’ distraught families continue to prevail in hopes that their girls will be able to return safely home as well. Until then, please pray that the missing young girls will be divinely protected and, all the while, further encouraged to persevere in their battle of faith, knowing that they are not forgotten.

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6 VOM Canada | November 2017

Visual ArtsContest

The Voice of the Martyrs Canada

An opportunity to express your

Valuable Visual Voice

telling the story of the Persecuted

through Hebrews 13:3.

For contest details, visit:

WWW.VOMCANADA.COM/ARTCONTEST

Submission deadline: June 15, 2018

Ladi felt the weight of her baby bouncing against her back as she ran. Others from the village sprint-

ed ahead into the surrounding hills, but the weight of her child was slowing her down. She could hear the shouts of Boko Haram terrorists behind her and smell the smoke from the burning thatched roofs they had set on fire. After scanning the landscape for a hiding place, she crawled under a large flat rock at the top of the hill, pulled her feet beneath her, and tried to slow her breathing. Hearing the Boko Haram fighters nearby, she prayed the baby wouldn’t make a noise.

“You! Get out!” a terrorist yelled after discovering someone else beneath a nearby rock. “Stand up. Recite the [Muslim] statement of faith.” Ladi couldn’t see the

man who had been hiding, but she heard his reply: “I cannot recite the Islamic verse because I am an evan-gelist. I stand for the Gospel.” She knew immediately that it was Daniel, a member of the local Church of Christ in Nigeria that her husband pastored. As a full-time evangelist, Daniel spent most of his time sharing the Gospel with Nigerians residing in communities near the village.

“We are going to kill you,” one of the Boko Haram fighters told Daniel. “Stand like this to show surren-der,” he ordered, placing his hands on his head. An abrupt burst of machine-gun fire made Ladi flinch. Then she heard a thud as Daniel hit the ground. After a moment of brief silence, Ladi heard a terrorist walk

SHELTERED BY THE

Rock

After eluding the Islamic extremists who killed her husband – twice fleeing for her life – a Nigerian pastor’s

wife finds comfort in the help of fellow believers.

November 2017 | VOM Canada 7

towards her and climb atop the rock she was hiding under. “The only thing that saved me was that he didn’t peek to see if somebody was under the rock,” she explains. “They were standing there and trying to view other places to see if they were able to find more people. I was under the rock and so grateful to God…that my baby also didn’t make any noise.”

The man standing on the rock above her suddenly shouted, “Look at one of the big infidels running away!” They ordered the man to stop, but he kept running. “I heard the gunshot,” Ladi recalls. She later learned that what she had heard was her husband being shot to death.

The August 5th, 2014 Boko Haram attack on Ladi’s village came in two waves, a familiar pat-tern to those experienced with the terrorists’ tactics. The first wave of the militants’ attack involved the use of heavy weapons, such as rocket-propelled grenades. During the second wave, the per-petrators swept through the vil-lage in search of survivors, and then chased these vil-lagers on foot with machine guns and machetes. The world had taken notice of Boko Haram months earlier, in April 2014, when the group kidnapped the 276 girls from the school in Chibok, Nigeria. Now the same

terrorist group was attempting to follow through on its declaration to occupy the entire Christian territory in northern Nigeria by attacking Ladi’s village outside Gwoza – a predominantly Christian city of approxi-mately 300,000.

The Aftermath of the RampageWhen the villagers felt confident that the terror-

ists had left the area, they began to come out of their hiding places. “Where is my husband?” Ladi cried, as

she crawled out from beneath the rock. The surviving villagers worked together to count the dead, and Ladi’s husband was among them. “Almost immediately, we heard gunshots again,” she recounts of the militants’ soon repeat of terror. “The Boko Haram members were coming back.”

The villagers again fled their attack-ers, and Ladi waited two days in a nearby village before returning to her home. She then snuck into the walled compound surrounding their

church to dig a hole for her husband’s body: “I remem-bered how my husband had served the Lord as a pas-tor. I went to look for a hymnbook and choose a song. Specifically, the song I chose said, ‘When Christ comes, there are no more pains.’”

Ladi appreciates the support and encouragement she receives at the VOM-supported sewing school.

“...One of the things

that gave me the most

strength was the concern

The Voice of the Martyrs

[workers] showed in

their willingness to

assist me.”

8 VOM Canada | November 2017

Some of the Boko Haram fighters returned during her short funeral service, but they didn’t find her hid-ing inside the compound. After burying her husband, Ladi returned to her four children who had also suc-cessfully hidden throughout the attack. The next day, Ladi – joined by her children and younger sister – headed south to the city of Mubi, nearly 80 miles away. “The trip was three days without food,” she recalls. She had no money, as the terrorists had stolen their money from her hus-band’s pockets, and there was no means of trans-portation for them to get to Mubi. So she stopped a driver on the road who, after seeing how weak her children were, reluctantly agreed to take them to a refugee camp.

Caring for the Surviving VictimsAfter Boko Haram captured Gwoza, its leader

released the following statement: “Thanks be to Allah, who gave victory to our brethren in Gwoza and made it part of the Islamic caliphate.... Allah is going to use Islam to rule Gwoza, Nigeria, and the whole world.”

A few weeks later, Ladi and her family were forced to flee again as Boko Haram advanced southward and overran Mubi. Witnesses say the militants burned all the churches in the city. Thankfully, within seven months, the Nigerian Army had successfully pushed Boko Haram back into the northern parts of Borno state, freeing Mubi, Gwoza and the surrounding areas.

Several months later, Ladi was introduced to two

VOM workers at a refugee camp in Yola. After hearing her story, they asked her if she had known an evan-gelist named Daniel. Ladi was surprised yet thank-ful to hear that Daniel had survived the attack and received treatment through VOM’s medical program before returning to the Gwoza area to continue his evangelistic work. The VOM workers helped Ladi and

her children relocate to a safer city where they now live. “One of the fears I had was caring for my children,” she later told a VOM worker. “I am grate-ful that we didn’t just get relief and support from The Voice of the Martyrs. They also brought me here and helped [with] my children’s school fees.”

Ladi attends a VOM-supported sewing school, where she is learning the

skills necessary to run her own tailoring business. In addition to working alongside women who have been through similar experiences, she also stud-ies the Bible with them. “In the beginning, it was very difficult because I spent so many days crying,” she admits. “At the centre, I started to get some encouragement.... One of the things that gave me the most strength was the concern The Voice of the Martyrs [workers] showed in their willingness to assist me.”

Just as a rock had sheltered Ladi and her baby when the Boko Haram fighters attacked her village, Ladi knows that her true shelter and eternal security are found in the eternal Rock – Jesus Christ.

Daniel, the evangelist who sustained gunshot

wounds after the Boko Haram attack,

received needed medical care from VOM and survived. Today, he

continues to minister in the reclaimed village.

November 2017 | VOM Canada 9

Monica Dra was among the first to suffer under Boko Haram’s reign of terror. In July 2009,

Islamic militants dragged her husband out of their home in Maiduguri, Borno state, and slaughtered him before cornering the 25-year-old Christian woman outside the couple’s house.

Noting the cross necklace she was wear-ing, a Boko Haram member turned to Monica and slashed his machete across her neck. He then wiped his bloody machete on her blouse and shoved her into a ditch where she lay bleeding for two days before being rescued. “I thought, I am a Christian and I am dying today, so to God be the glory,” Monica recounts of that almost fatal inju-ry. But amazingly, the young woman survived. She has since undergone more than seven surgeries, all funded by VOM, to repair damage to her neck and vocal cords. VOM has

also provided Monica with a grinding machine and funds to start a small business selling food items.

When VOM's ministry workers visited her in more recent years, they learned that her parents had kicked her out of their home after she refused an arranged marriage to a man who already had a wife. With

VOM’s help, Monica has been raising her 11-year-old son, who was also provided an opportunity to receive a good educa-tion. Monica herself is studying tailor-ing with a group of women who regularly gather for fellowship and encouragement.

Through prayer and the ongoing work of God’s Spirit, Monica has been able to for-give her attackers. “Now that I have gotten my strength,

I have forgiven them for everything they have done,” she says with genuine concern for their need of salva-tion through Christ.

NIGERIA: Remembering the Persecuted…

A doctor from VOM's medical team has been monitoring Monica's progress.

10 VOM Canada | November 2017

Closer to the FireLessons from the

Persecuted Church$11

In this compelling VOMC book, Closer to the Fire: Lessons of the Persecuted Church, Greg Musselman takes readers on an unfor-gettable journey across the globe. While visiting

different countries along the way – including Nigeria – he introduces individual Christians whose stories of faithfulness amid persecution have greatly impacted his life.As you read the real-life stories of these tried-and-true ‘heroes of the faith,’ who’ve stood strong in the face of opposition for the sake of the Gospel, your own resolve to follow Christ will be greatly strengthened. (Paperback, 146 pages)

The Torchlighters DVD Series presents...The Samuel Morris Story

$15When young Prince Kaboo escapes captivity from a fierce enemy tribe, he stumbles upon a Christian mission com-plex in the remote jungle. The missionaries then tell Kaboo about the Heavenly Father who had paid a great ransom for everyone. Kaboo soon adopts the new name “Samuel Morris” and sets out on a mission to share his newfound faith with all who will listen. Children and adults alike are sure to be inspired by Kaboo’s dedication in sharing the Good News at any price.In addition to the 30-minute animated story recounting Samuel’s testimony, this DVD includes a 58-minute documentary on his life, a comprehensive leader’s guide with les-son plans and background information, and reproducible handouts with activities and discussion questions.

VOMC’s Christmas Blessing project strives to convey our solidarity with persecuted Christian brothers and sisters facing severe challeng-es for their faith, and to prayerfully provide them a measure of help, hope and encouragement. Our goal this Christmas is to bless 3,000 Christian families in nine villages throughout Egypt with a Christmas Blessing package. These families live with the daily pressures of per-secution while seeking to live out their faith in a hostile environment.

Each Christmas Blessing package, which contains practical supplies and a special gift for the children, will bring joy to the recipients. More importantly, these families will appreciate the fact that the gifts they receive come from Christian brothers and sisters in Canada who have remembered them in their suffering.

Christmas Blessing 2017

To participate in this year’s Christmas Blessing project, please contact us at www.vomcanada.com/cb | 1-888-298-6423

Ordering VOMC’s resources is another practical way to help support our persecuted family overseas.Check our online catalogue for more gift-giving ideas: www.vomcanada.com/catalogue

Based on the testimony and ministry of Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand.

Actor Dennis Hassell reports from the road: “The first

few weeks of the national tour have gone very well. Standing ovations have

become common responses to this work of art. Local

attendees, both young and old, are keen to share their

personal responses and awakenings to the story of

the persecuted church today.”